Our Secret
by 8049629
Summary: Had it mean anything..? Did he do it on purpose..?  It couldn't be that bad... after all... it was just a kiss...  Mir/Kag Originally a one-shot,, but I added onto it.
1. Chapter 1

His name screamed through her mind repeatedly.

_Miroku_

What had he been thinking? To actually kiss her... It was out of the question..! He was supposed to love Sango, sure there hadn't been any declarations of love, but it was obvious they felt something for each other. He felt nothing for her.

_Not Kagome Higurashi._

She lifted her hand, and brushed her fingers across her lips,"Why..?" she asked the questions over and over in her head. Each time the answer made less sense. He was Miroku, and she was Kagome. They had never had anything between them except friendship.

Right..?

She stood up, brushed the dirt off her skirt, and started walking back towards the campsite. All the memories ran through her mind.

_ "Keh' the fires going out. I vote Miroku has to go get more wood." Inuyasha said in a nonchalant tone as he glanced at Miroku and smirked,"It's his turn anyways."_

_ "And why would it be my turn?"Miroku asked sarcastically. Wondering why Inuyasha always seemed to have it in for him._

_ Inuyasha narrowed his eyes a bit and started, "Because, l__ast__ time I went. The time before Sango went. The time before that, Shippou went. Then Kagome. And you haven't got off you're lazy a-"_

_ "That's enough Inuyasha." Kagome cut him off as she stood up and glared down at him. Giving him the 'Shut up if you don't want to be sit' look.__Inuyasha gulped, and pouted as he stomped off and sat down with his back against a tree. He looked off into the distance, trying to ignore them, __"I'll go with you, Miroku. I was wanting to get away from __**a certain someone**__ anyways." she said as she gave one more glare at Inuyasha, then walked into the brush._

_ "Well," Miroku chuckled a little as he stood up and followed Kagome,"I guess that ends the conversation."_

_ She had been mad. More like pissed actually. Inuyasha and her had been doing great, a__romantic moment here, a little bonding there. They had almost even kissed!__ It was perfect. Then Kikyo had come, and as __always__Inuyasha__ went to her. Leaving Kagome behind, reminding her that all she was, all she could ever be, was a replacement. _

_ Her eyes shifted as she searched for Miroku, hoping he had followed her into the woods. She had stormed off pretty abruptly, so she couldn't blame him for having trouble catching up with her. Soon enough she saw a dark figure and ran towards it, "Miroku!" she yelled as she got closer, but __realized a moment later that it wasn't the monk. But a tall, gruff man. His eyes moved to hers and immediately down to her skirt. He smirked and walked towards her,_

_ "Well, well, look what we have here?" The man said as he took a step closer to Kagome, "What's a young lady like yourself doing out here in the middle of the woods?" he chuckled._

_ "St-stay away from me.." she said as she backed up, only to be knocked into a tree, t__aking away her escape. _

_ She had to get out._

_ "Please... Someone help... Inuyasha..!" she thought as she closed her eyes tightly. Getting ready to fight the man, knowing it would be futile._

_ "This is one short kimono you got here..." The man said as he slowly moved his hand towards her skirt. Kagome tensed, and started to raise her hand. So she could at least _attempt _to punch him._

_ "Well, I'm pretty sure she called it something other than a kimono..?" came the voice she had been looking for. Hope suddenly rose in Kagome, but she mistakenly named her savior._

_ "Inuyasha..?" she opened her eyes to see Miroku standing next to the man, holding him down on his knees. The man was struggling to get to his feet._

_ But failed._

_ She saw Miroku slightly glance up at her, and forced a smile to his lips. His eyes looked almost sad, but he then looked back at the man and tightened his grip,"Now... Say your sorry to the lady and leave." _

_ "S-sorry.." he said pitifully._

_ "Good," Miroku said. Then his facial features darkened and his voice grew harsh," Now get the hell out of here!" He said as he pushed the man to the side and saw him run away with his tail between his legs._

_ "Thanks." Kagome muttered as she looked down, trying to hide her face._

_ "Your welcome, Lady Kagome." he said as he started to walk deeper into the forest,"Now, we better get that fire wood." he took another step, but heard no response. He then looked back to find Kagome on her knees with her face buried in her hands. _

_ Had the man hurt her before her had gotten there?_

_ He could faintly hear her muffled sobs as he walked over to her and crouched down,"Kagome..? What's wrong?" he asked, a little concerned,"Did he hurt you?"_

_ "N-no. I-it's noth-nothing." she said as she lifted her head from her hands and looked at him,"I j-just was a li-little shook up. Th-that's all." she forced a smile. She had been in situations like this many times; and each time she was saved. But she always had to take time to get comfortable again, to __keep her composure. Then she felt it. Felt his arms around her, "Mir-" _

_ "Shh, shh, it's okay. Your okay." he whispered in Kagome's ear as he rocked her back in forth in his arms. Soon enough, her tense body relaxed in his arms. It was warm and comforting, and it helped her find the peace she needed to get back her calmness. He even felt kinda nice, but she found herself wondering back to Inuyasha. __Which meant back to Kikyo; which meant back to sadness.__Then she felt it, but this time it wasn't his arms, and they weren't around her torso,_

_ "Miiroookuuuu..." She whispered violently, "Could you please stop groping my ass?" she said as she pushed him away. She lost her balance, and while she was falling, ended up grabbing onto Miroku, pulling him down with her. _

_ Kagome found herself in a very awkward position. Miroku was lying on top of her, and their lips were pressed together. Miroku lifted up from her and looked down on her,_

_ "Ummm... You should get u-" she was cut off by his lips again, but this time it was on purpose. His intentions were full and present. She laid there in shock, her mouth slightly open. Miroku took the advantage to try and slip his tongue in, but the moment she felt it, she bit. _

_ Hard._

_ "Owww, Kagome..." he said as he pulled away from her lips and managed to stand up," You didn't have to bite me so hard..." he rubbed his mouth as he let out a slight chuckle. He was in a better mood than before. Something about a woman's violence was so... so... enlightening. He smiled._

_ "Wha-what was that?" she yelled as she stood up, stumbling a bit, " And I bit you hard cause your a perv!" she yelled as she got up from the ground. She couldn't believe him! What was he thinking. She glared at him, and made a sound similar to that of a growl._

_ "Oh, so you didn't like it?" he said as he almost pouted."And I thought I was a good kisser..."_

_ At that, she flushed and looked down," Let's just go," she then wheeled around and pointed a finger at Miroku,"And not one word about this to Inuyasha."_

_ He looked at her innocently," And why not?" _

_ 'Because it would be Hell' he thought, answering his own question._

_ "Because if you do, all it will lead to is him trying to kill you, me stopping him with 'sit', him getting mad at me. Which will lead to another 'sit', and then we wont talk to each other till I go home, and it will be completely meaningless!" she finished, catching her breath. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading him not to say anything._

_ "Okay, okay, I won't say anything." he said as his eyes softened, "But don't think I only kissed you because I was teasing. There are a lot of other reasons." he then walked off leaving Kagome speechless. She didn't go with him. She had to think it over before she got back, and gain some composure. 'And figure out how to act as if nothing happened' she thought to herself and sighed._

She looked for Miroku the moment she walked into the campsite. He was sitting with his back against a tree, his eyes closed. She walked up to Inuyasha and sat down a few inches away from him, across from the spot Miroku was sitting.

'_Did he say anything? Please, oh, please tell me he didn't!' _she thought to herself as she looked over to Miroku hesitantly, but was relieved when she heard his next words,

"See? She's fine, she had just gone back because she had seen a large branch that she thought would have been good for the fire," Miroku stopped and looked around her," Did you not find it?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah.. I couldn't..." she trailed off, feeling relieved he had done what she asked.

The days went by, and all that could be said is one thing. Awkward. Miroku made slight hints about what had happened, but the only person who realized the true meaning was Kagome. She'd blush, or maybe even hit him, then walk off.

A week later they were at a stop for travelers, and Inuyasha and Sango had went inside to get some dumplings and tea. Kagome was in a bench across from Miroku. She looked up to catch him staring at her.

It was then that he blew her a kiss and winked, and then brought his finger up to his mouth as if he was saying,

'Our Secret'.


	2. Chapter 2

Darn it! This was supposed to be a one-shot! I fail... Epically...

Chapter 2.

It had been a month since Miroku's little intrusion onto Kagome's lips, and nothing between them had changed. He always flirted with Sango and never really paid her any attention – his groping had ceased, but all of the extra went to the demon slayer. He had even started to ignore her more than he usually would! And it was starting to get on her very last nerve...

She shifted uncomfortably as she stared into the light of the campfire, and noticed how Inuyasha's eyes darted back and forth between Miroku and Kagome. He had been acting suspicious ever since the night that they came back – he had said that his scent was coming off her. Of course, Miroku made a quick lie and diverted Inuyasha's attention. He took the bait and hasn't said anything since, but she could tell he knew something – maybe something _she _didn't even know.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" She heard Shippou whisper concernedly from beside her, "You've seemed really out of it lately."

She glanced at him and sighed heavily, "No, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about something." She looked back at the fire light and gave a quick glance to Miroku – he was sitting up against a tree, Sango on his left with her head on his shoulder. Both fast asleep.

Darn it! Why was this annoying her so much?

She looked away and stared at the ground below.

"This is so confusing..." She growled, irritated that she was so irritated with this – It made no sense.

"What is?" She heard Inuyasha grumble as he lifted his head to glare at her.

"...Nothing." She mumbled under her breath.

"Then don't think so loud. I cant sleep." He said as he closed his eyes for some much needed rest.

"No need to be rude..." She murmured sarcastically. His ear twitched, but he didn't say anything – he wasn't in the mood for a 'sit' at the moment.

She huffed inwardly and stared back at where Sango and Miroku lay. This was not going to work – she wouldn't be able to stand this bitterness she felt.

_I'll just get some advice from Sango. _She thought to herself and smiled. Yes! Sango would give her some good advice and everything would be fine. She perked up and stood up to go over to her bag. When she reached it she pulled a sleeping bag from it's depths and laid it on the ground opposite to Inuyasha, "Shippou? Are you going to sleep now?" She asked as she started to pull off her shoes and stepped into the padded mat.

"He glanced over and quickly said, "No, I think I'll stay up a while longer."

She furrowed her brow, "You sure? You'll be tired in the morning." She asked concerned.

"Yes, " he lightly giggled, "I'm sure."

She took one more glance at Shippou, then covered herself and snuggled into the comforting cloth. She lay there for what seemed liked hours until she found herself opening her eyes every once in a while – just to sneak a peek at Sango and Miroku.

She sighed inwardly and thought, _Tomorrow._

_Short Chapter! Sorry,, If I get enough feedback I'll keep this going even though it was supposed to be a one-shot at first...  
_


	3. Chapter 3

"Kagome! Kagome! Damn it, wake up!" Inuyasha screams echoed through the morning air – right into Kagome's ear.

She grumbled and turned over to see a very angry, and annoyed hanyou. He sneered and sent her a glare, "Get up already. The suns been out for hours."

She kept her sights on him and didn't waver for a second, "Inuyasha." she said and he just looked at her,

"What?" he said irritated.

"Sit." She quickly said, not even flinching when his body slammed into the ground. She sighed heavily. Why couldn't he be more reasonable – just a little nicer? She silently got up and walked over to where Shippou had been watching the pair.

"Kagome! What did Inuyasha do this time?" He giggled, "He probably deserved it whatever it was."

She smiled at him and started, " I'm just not in the mood to put up with his usual antics." she slightly turned her head when she heard him getting up and grumbling to himself,

"Damn, that wench is gonna get it one of these days..." He walked up to a tree and hid himself in the depths of all the leaves when he jumped up.

She stared, "And there he goes – to the confines of his tree, just because he is to immature to actually deal with anything that doesn't go his way." She said blankly. It was pretty obvious to her, and everyone else that he wasn't going to change – at least not for a while – and she knew that no matter what she did he would be his same childish self as always. She would have to learn to put up with it, or try and forget what love she held for him.

She sighed heavily and walked forward, _Why couldn't I fall in love with someone more mature? Someone she could actually talk to without getting into an argument? Someone who could handle himself without throwing a hissy-fit?_

A picture of Miroku flashed across her mind. She mentally shook herself – why would she think of him? He was a complete jerk that had been ignoring her right after he basically raped her mouth!

She made a sound similar to that of a growl.

She suddenly felt awake as she walked over to where Sango and the monk were standing.

"Hello," She said as she finished her walk and stopped in front of them with a fake smile plastered on her face. She glanced at Sango, then to Miroku as she saw him gulp when he noticed how forced her expression was, "What are you doing?"

Slowly, his lips curved into an unnatural smile, "Well, Lady Kag-"

"That's great," she spit out bitterly, " Now, what was I doing?" She questioned as she looked at him and forced another grin to her features.

_POP_

A large, red hand print slowly made it's way to Miroku's face as Kagome pulled her hand away, "There we go, that's what I had forgotten about." She felt more relieved when she pulled her hand from his cheek. Some of her anger had died down and she was getting back her composure.

"KAGOME!" Yelled Sango from Miroku's side as she turned his head to examine the print, "Wha- what was that for?" she brushed the side of his face with the pad of her thumb and furrowed her brow.

"It's an inside thing, " She smirked at Miroku, "Just getting back at him for something."

"What could you be talking about?" Miroku asked as he sent her a glance.

She glared at him as she felt her anger spike again. Had he really forgotten? "Oh, you mean you don't remember?" She fought back a sneer, " I thought you would actually remember when you kissed someone."

The moment she said it, the moment she heard Inuyasha yell, and the moment she saw the look on Sango's face she regretted ever letting the words come off her lips.

"I- I," she stumbled through her words; trying to find an excuse – anything that could make up for what she said. She hadn't meant to say it! It had just slipped through her mouth because she was angry! And even if she was angry, that didn't mean she should have told everyone about it. They had moved on and put it behind them. She looked at Sango and saw the look of desperation and fear slip across her features, and it was all her fault! "Sa- Sango..." she mumbled.

Before she could say anything else – before she could even fathom what was happening – Inuyasha had Miroku pinned to a tree, holding him by the neck of his robes.

"What did she say monk?" he snapped out bitterly as a low growl rumble in his chest. Rage boiled over inside him. How dare he touch Kagome! How dare he touch what was _his_!

"I knew something had happened between you two! I knew it!" He yelled into Miroku's ears as he dug his claws into his palms, trying to keep from beating Miroku right into the tree. He rose his fist and was about ready to punch him when he heard Kagome yell,

"Inuyasha! Stop!" She screamed at him. He turned his head and yelled back at her,

"Was it mutual? Did you kiss him back!" He let out, "Or did the monk take advantage of you!" She looked at him and lowered her head. He snarled as he turned back to face Miroku and glared, "He's had it coming for a while anyway!" He rose his fist to punch him gain, then suddenly felt Kagome's ringers grab his wrist and pull it down to his side.

She looked at him seriously,

"_I_ kissed _him_."

()_()_()_()_()_()_()_()_()_()_()_()_()_()

Please review and I promise to update soon! Tell me if you like where it is going! XD


	4. Chapter 4

"_I_ kissed _him_."

Miroku gasped when he heard what she said. Why was she covering for him? What motives would she have for rescuing him? If anything, he probably deserved what Inuyasha was about to do to him. After all, he _had _taken advantage of her. He _had _been a jerk for the past month. But he definitely _hadn't _apologized, or deserved what she was doing for him.

"Yo-you WHAT?" Inuyasha howled at her as he pushed Miroku against the tree – causing the air to be knocked from him - and grabbed Kagome's wrist with his other hand, " WHY IN HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT! He could feel himself being lost within his rage. He had to have heard her wrong! She had to be covering for the monk! There was no way she would betray him for that, that hentai monk!

Her eyes widened with fear when she saw just how angry Inuyasha really was. His golden eyes were growing a tint of red to them when she pulled away from his grasp. She had to stop this before things got out of hand, "Inuyasha, "she breathed in slowly, "Calm down."

"Like Hell I'll calm down!" He growled at her and took another step closer, " Tell me what is going on! Now, wench!" he grabbed her wrist again and accidentally scratched her hand as a trickle of scarlet rolled down her palm.

She flinched and tried to push him away, "Stop! OW!" she leaned away and glanced over to where Miroku lay. He was unconscious and Sango's form was hovering over him, tending to any injuries he had gotten when he was pushed. She looked back at Inuyasha. His eyes were crimson red now, and she knew he was on the edge, "You are over-reacting! It was just a kiss! It meant nothing!" She screamed into his ears.

Inuyasha's gripped lessened on her hand and growled, "What do you mean nothing?"

When she felt the tension in his muscles relax a bit, she went on, " It just happened," she searched for a story – anything that Inuyasha would believe, "The night Miroku and I went to get fire wood. That's when I kissed him. "

She felt his hand tightened a little and quickly said, "It was because I was was jealous."

"Jealous?" Inuyasha muttered confused.

"Because right before that, " she sighed and mumbled, " Right before that, you had gone to meet Kikyo."

He let go of her hand.

"I felt lonely, and sad. And I just wanted to be with someone." she felt each word roll off her lips with ease. Because they were all true. All the emotions she had been feeling then – just suppressing them so no one could see, " That night Miroku was there, and before I knew it I had kissed him." she stopped and looked right into Inuyasha's – now golden – eyes and whispered, "I felt nothing."

He looked deep into her mahogany eyes and backed away once he had finally gotten control back, "I-I'm sorry."

Her eyes softened as she looked at him, "Don't worry it's just a scratch."

He looked down at the blood running down from her hand, "I- that's not what I meant." he said reluctantly. He really wanted to say, 'Kagome, I love you. I love you so much, but – if I'm truly honest – I love Kikyo _more.' _He wished he could say it. Just so all the misery she went through would end. He opened his mouth and attempted to tell her, but his throat was dry, and he couldn't speak.

"I know." she spoke in a voice just above a whisper as she gave him one last meaningful glance and walked over to where Miroku lay. She didn't want to have that discussion with him when she already knew exactly what he wanted to say just by looking in his eyes. She would always be second best to Kikyo, and she knew it. But you can't stop a girl from wishing, right?

"Is he okay?" Kagome asked as she finished the walk up to the monk and demon slayer.

"Yes." Sango said bluntly and kept checking him over to make sure he was fine.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked as she knelt down next to Sango. She was being unusually cold...

"What's wrong?" Sango mimicked her sarcastically. She quickly turned her head and Kagome noted how her eyes were starting to gather tears, "How could you? You know how I feel about him!"

Kagome looked into her eyes and inwardly sighed. She didn't want Sango mad at her, but she didn't want her heartbroken either. If Sango knew Miroku had been the one to kiss Kagome, she would be torn to pieces. Sure, she could handle the occasional village girl incidents, but Miroku and Kagome were close companions. So, of course, Sango would think it was worse than a stupid fling.

Kagome looked down, "I'm sorry." she mumbled.

Sango remained silent and said nothing else to her the whole day.

And all Kagome could think was, _'So much for getting advice'_

()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~

He crept one eye open and felt a shock of pain rush through his head. He brought his hand to the ground and slowly, painfully, sat up.

"Ow..." he murmured, "What did I do?" he questioned himself as he rushed through everything he remember until the moment he lost consciousness.

_Talking to Sango... Kagome came over... Kagome getting angry... Kagome telling about the kiss... Inuyasha grabbing me... Kagome lied..._

"Oh," he mumbled as he remembered how Kagome had saved him from Inuyasha's wrath, "Well I guess I'll have to thank her for that when I see her." he chuckled and glance at the closed shudders. A small crack of light was peeking through them.

"Thank who?" Miroku jumped at the sound of her voice all the sudden. He sighed heavily and looked around the room until he saw her shadowed figure,

"Ah, Lady Kagome." he smiled, "It would be you that I need to thank."

"And why is that?" he heard the smile in her voice and let out a small laugh.

"Well, because one angry hanyou would have killed me by now if it weren't for you." though he was thankful – he wished she hadn't done it. He deserved his punishment, and she had done nothing to have it dealt on her.

"..Oh," he voice saddened, "Yeah – all taken care of." he could tell how forced her enthusiasm was and frowned.

"What's wrong? What happened after I was knocked out?" he asked concernedly and leaned towards her shadow covered figure.

"...Nothing happened. I just made up a story and Inuyasha believed it." she breathed in heavily, "Simple really." he noticed how choked her words were and pushed further,

"Don't lie." he said accusingly. Something had happened, and he needed to know what so he could fix it. He wouldn't allow her to suffer pain because of his reckless actions.

"Wha- I- I'm not lying." she stumbled through her words.

"Kagome, It's not that simple and you know it." he leaned in a bit more and grabbed her forearm affectionately, "Tell me and I'll fix it."

She stood up abruptly, " No! I didn't lie to Inuyasha and make Sango hate me just so you could go running back and tell what really happened!" she choked back a few sobs and started to head for the door until Miroku grabbed her arm again and forced her to look at him.

"What are you talking about? Why would Sango hate you? And what did you tell Inuyasha exactly?" he demanded. He couldn't stand to see her like this – he wasn't going to sit around and wait for Inuyasha to be the hero again. It was his turn to help her through her troubles!

"I have to go," she mumbled as she shoved his arm away. She rushed to the door and left.

"Kagome... Wait!" he yelled, but she didn't turn around and left him alone in the darkness of the dingy hut.

Review Please! XD

I've started a doujinshi of this fanfiction, and here is the link to my deviantart to view it :

.com/


	5. Chapter 5

"Kagome? Where are you going?" Inuyasha asked as the girl rushed past him.

"I'm going home!" She simply yelled. Kagome couldn't sit there and listen to Miroku beg for her to explain. She couldn't act like Sango didn't hate her. And she especially couldn't let Inuyasha see how broken she felt. That stupid monk had ruined everything. Kagome was perfectly fine at acting like things were great until Miroku had kissed her and torn their little group apart.

"Kagome, wait!" Sango's voice called as Kagome tried to make her escape. The demon slayer caught up with her and grabbed her arm roughly. "Tell me why you kissed him! If you could just help me understand why you did it; I'm trying to be reasonable!" she said – her eyes pleading. She wanted to find a reason not to be mad. She never wanted to feel like this towards anyone but Naraku, but if Kagome never told her the truth – Sango's conscience would, unfortunately, assume the worst.

"You already heard," Kagome mumbled as she hid her eyes behind her hair, "It's exactly what I told Inuyasha." she felt water start to gather in her eyes and felt ashamed that she couldn't keep herself together. She tried to pull away from Sango's grasp, but her grip just tightened.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Sango asked bitterly, "You and I both know that you would never do that out of jealousy."

Kagome sighed but couldn't help but thank her inwardly when she noticed how Sango had gradually gotten them out of hearing range from Inuyasha. At least if something did slip out, He wouldn't know about it.

"Even if you were right, it won't change anything" she choked back a sob and went on, " What's done is done. Now can you please just let me g-"

"Kagome! Would you just look at me?" Sango yelled as she pulled Kagome's shoulder so she would look at her.

Sango gasped.

Tears were flowing out of Kagome's eyes and falling down her cheeks.

Kagome breathed in deeply and choked out, "You happy? I'm looking at you now." she stared at Sango for a few moments and couldn't stop herself. She cried and cried. Her sobs became louder with every second and she felt completely lost.

What was she going to do? She couldn't tell Sango the truth, "I'm leaving." Kagome said as she brushed her arm across Sango's arm and ran in the direction of the well.

I'm sorry it's soo short! DX School just let out and I'm trying to update on all my stories after all my tests. I'll update soon with a much longer chapter,, again sorry! Review! :D


	6. Chapter 6

Okay,, I'm hoping this chapter is going to be longer,, I've been trying to get inspiration and was reading Chasing Methuselah by Sandra E,,,, and if anyone who is reading this like MirKag at all should read it,,,,, It can make anyone love them!

Anyways,,,, sorry,, got off track,,,, _ ,,, but as I was saying,,, I finally got back some inspiration and am going to try a long chapter for you guys!,, Love ya all! XD

Kagome ran as far as her feet would carry her. She couldn't let Sango see her like this any longer. It was embarrassing and pitiful. _The well. _She needed to go back home, relax, and never think about Sengoku Jidai again. _That's_ _Futile._

Of course she had to think about it. The jewel fragments; it was all her fault they were made, and it was her job – no, her _**destiny –**_ to get them back. Which, unfortunately, meant she had to deal with all the ups and downs of her traveling companions. Kagome's mind flashed back to the first week she had traveled with Inuyasha. It was so much easier then. No whining Shippou, no reincarnated priestess's, and no Perverted monks ruining what family she had gained.

No. No. _No._

What was she saying?

She loved Shippou, and all the whining that came with it. And – even if she wouldn't like to admit it – Kikyo was a part of her, and she needed to accept that.

Then there is Miroku.

Kagome had every right to hate him. Every damn right in the world... But she didn't; she felt no bitterness toward him at all even if she wanted to. The only thing she felt was a sadness in her heart. A sadness to know that he might have ruined his and Sango's future together, and any chance that she would have had with Inuyasha.

The tears had finally stopped as she neared the well. She glanced around at the scenery. Birds were chirping, and the sun was shining brightly. The trees were green, the air was fresh, and she couldn't help but think she had been so, _so_ wrong. Why would she want to forget about this place? It was beautiful in so many ways imaginable. No matter the danger, no matter what went wrong, she could always come here and indulge in the beauty of it all.

Kagome wiped away the excess tears on her cheeks and walked through the lush grass to where the well rested.

_Maybe she would just sit here for awhile and calm down._

She sighed heavily and lifted her head towards the clouds. It was such a pleasant day, "I wonder if it's this beautiful back home." she pondered and sat for a moment, gazing in awe. She leaned her head forward a bit and picked up a flower growing from the ground beside her, "I should forgive him, I shouldn't." she repeated over and over as she pulled the dainty petals off.

When Kagome finally reached the last petal, "...I should forgive him..." she said slowly and thought. Should she? Even though she wasn't really mad at Miroku anymore; that didn't mean she couldn't act a little irritated just to tease him, "That's what I'll do," she nodded and giggled to herself, "Just tease him a bit."

"And what kind of teasing is that?" he smirked as he stepped out of the brush and into the sight of Kagome, "Because I know plenty of different ways.." Miroku wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Kagome was choking.

She was choking on _air._

Had he really just –

He had.

He walked closer to her and smirked, "Do you need any help Kagome?" he asked, feigning innocence and reached towards her.

She immediately brushed his hand away, "No 'cough' Thank you." she said, finally evening out her breaths. She glanced towards him then looked down, "What are you doing here?" she asked grumpily. _Yes! It would start now... I wonder how he'll react. He might even feel bad about it..._

"Just coming to see how you were doing after you stormed out of Kaede's hut like that," Miroku said accusingly, then pointed a finger at her playfully, "What are _you _doing here? I thought you were going back to your own time?"

More than that. He was worried about her when she had rushed out like that. She was so unpredictable, and it was causing him way to much distress. But he knew he couldn't keep pushing her for answers, she would just grow farther away from him. So for now her would leave it alone. _For now._

All Kagome did was shrug and scooted a little away from him.

Silence.

"Kagome..?"

"Kagome?"

**SMACK**

"Miroku!" Kagome yelled as she pulled away from him and stood up in a rage. Miroku slowly moved his hand away from where her backside had been moments ago. He laughed and rubbed the mark that was slowly making it's way to his face.

He chuckled, "It was worth it," he smirked, " You slap much harder than Sango does." Miroku glanced at her and saw the worry flash in her eyes.

No! She couldn't feel bad about him. He deserved it, and her whole ignoring him act would be completely ruined. She had to stop now! She had to stop feeling so guilty about it!

_Stop. Feeling. Guilty._

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Kagome asked concernedly as she raced towards him and examined his cheek, "It doesn't look that bad." she sighed with relief, "It's just gonna sting for awhile." she giggled and looked at him. She face palmed herself,"Crap, so much for that plan..." she muttered.

Miroku just looked questioningly at her and tilted his head, "So does that mean your going back to your time or not?" he asked again, never getting an answer earlier.

She glanced at him and shook her head, " I guess not," she sighed, "Besides, Inuyasha is going to be wanting to look for more jewel shards soon. No point in going back right now."

She walked a little closer to him and rested her hand on his forearm, "Are you still hurt from yesterday?"

He looked down and smiled – strangely happy that she had been worried about him, "I assure you Kagome, I am fine."

She looked at him sternly then held out her pinky, "Promise?"

Miroku looked at her quizzically, "Wha-" she quickly grabbed his hand and wrapped his pinky around hers. He saw her face flush a little bit before she repeated,

"Promise?"

He looked down at there hands, barely entwined and smiled.

"Promise."


End file.
